


With apologies to California

by aworldinside



Category: West Wing
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-13
Updated: 2010-09-13
Packaged: 2017-10-11 19:19:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/116013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aworldinside/pseuds/aworldinside
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He didn't like witnesses to his failure. Even her. Especially her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	With apologies to California

**Author's Note:**

> Set somewhere after _Process Stories_.

No. Not that either.

Toby stabbed the 'backspace' key ferociously.

He could write once, he swore it. He remembered speeches that had seemed to flow like water from a tap. Now? Not even a dribble. A drop.

He picked up this ball ready to slam it against the window before he remembered that there was no one in that office anymore.

He didn't care for California too much right now.

'Hey.'

He dropped his arm quickly. 'Hey.'

'The speech to the ACLU?'

'Yeah.' He tried to keep his tone even, but he didn't like witnesses to his failure. Even her. Especially her.

'Not working, huh?'

'Not so much, no.' He ran his hand over his face.

C.J walked over and sat on the corner of his desk, her closeness unerving him for a second, before reaching out and turning this laptop around so she could see it.

He resisted the impulse to grab at it, but only barely.

'What exactly ...?'

'Shhh.'

She looked at it thoughtfully, and he studied her face. She help her lip between her teeth when she was concentrating, and occasionally reached out to brush her hair back from her face.

He thought about running his hand up her leg, but that train of thought wasn't going to help anyone.

C.J pushed the laptop back towards him, and hopped down from his desk. 'You should move the paragraph about the new legislation to the middle, don't lead with it, it's too heavy handed.'

'CJ, this is a chance to trumpet what we're doing, I don't think ...'

She looked back at him with a small smile on her face. That same amused smile she used when she opened her door last weekend to find him on the other side, or when he had turned up at her office door two weeks ago, on a high because the healthcare speech had gone over so well ... and he had been able to do this before.

He reached for the keys again and started typing.

He vaguely heard her say, 'you're welcome' as she walked out the door.

Toby mentally apologised to California. It wasn't all that bad.


End file.
